Rape crisis center set to open in Fort Bend

The Fort Bend County Women's Center soon will be offering all of its rape crisis services at the new Rape Crisis Center, 1002 Wilson in Rosenberg.

Abeer Monem, director of programs for the women's center, said the site also will provide non-residential domestic violence services.

The opening of the Rape Crisis Center coincides with the beginning of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program at Polly Ryon Hospital in Richmond and the Methodist Health Center in Sugar Land.

The SANE nurses have to complete 96 clinical hours of observation to prepare for serving the needs of those assaulted in Fort Bend County.

Most of the nurses in the new program have completed required clinical hours. A pilot program is running this month at Polly Ryon Memorial Hospital.

All the administrative staffers formerly in the Hamrah Building, which houses the Rape Crisis Center, have moved to facilities donated by UNOCAL in Sugar Land. Monem said the additional space will allow the center to expand rape services this year, and add staff and volunteers to accommodate the expected rise in reported assault cases.

"According to the Texas Attorney General's Office, when the SANE program kicks off, it has been their experience that sexual assault caseloads have quadrupled," Monem said. "We're going to try to gradually add staff to continue to meet the need of the increase, if it goes the way they have projected.

"I think the key is having enough advocates to do hands-on things such as going to court with (victims), going to the police station with them, give them support."

The next volunteer training sessions will be held in July or August. Volunteers complete 40 hours of training, including tips on defining assault; relevant statistics and facts; crisis intervention; advocacy; criminal justice issues and information on the forensic medical examination. To become a volunteer or advocate, call 281-342-0251, ext. 205, and ask for the volunteer coordinator.

Monem said the crisis center has seven trained volunteer advocates. The group will need at least 32 volunteers, Monem said, if the attorney general's projection of an increase in reported cases is accurate.